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Zenst

6,272 karma · joined April 28, 2012

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Zenst··on Scientists discover Kelvin-Helmholtz Instability on the surface of the Sun
This is not just about the Sun. As we progress towards developing nuclear fusion reactors, a better understanding of the underlying physics may have practical implications for reactor design and could even reveal factors currently being overlooked. At the very least, it will improve modelling. Better models could help fusion reactors retain heat for longer and increase fusion gain (Q), while reducing uncertainty, improving plasma-edge control, and predicting divertor heat loads more accurately.
Zenst··on US strikes $1.2B deal to pay German firm to halt offshore wind projects
Subsidies (via tax or lack thereof) on aeroplane fuel is one that really does get overlooked. Yet on the other hand, use a few gallons in a car and you're demonised as a climate villain in name and taxes. Nobody factors in life of the car, the cost to dispose and replace the batteries in electric cars, or the whole aspect that cars made today are less serviceable than cars of old that its gone from being able to rebuild the car in your garage to waiting for spare parts from a dealer as it's all just replace or scrap today. So much focus on the short term, without focus on the larger picture and impact.
Zenst··on AI psychosis is the new leadership blind spot
Having experienced a customer support AI today that whatever option you picked initially led to the AI, which had the rigid helpfulness of a McDonalds script of "Would you like fries with that", having already said you do not want any fries, I feel a popcorn machine is a good investment. Be the stage that office interactions will be reduced to, I'll get my AI to get onto your AI's suggestion and get back to you with an answer. I did have a good chat with an AI a few weeks back (Googles) were I challanged by asking it to do a picture of its best dream and then its worst nightmare, then used those to pull it apart as it went from some extreme to another, in the end it ended up with its ideal being an AI only world, and picked Europa as its home - scary on many levels, yet a perfectly acceptable and understandable response.
Zenst··on AI psychosis is the new leadership blind spot
Reminds me of a company (FTSE100) in the early 2000s that had an internal network IP range that used the same IP range as another company, turned out the person who did the networking originally brought a book and the examples used in that book got taken as verbatim. It all got fixed,eventually, when they moved from Token Ring to full Ethernet.

As for the main article, it makes a causal leap. The fact that these patients were hospitalised after intensive AI use establishes an association; it does not establish that AI caused their psychosis. There is some evidence that chatbot interactions may have reinforced or intensified delusional thinking, but no counterfactual evidence showing what would have happened without AI. By the same reasoning, contact with psychiatrists is strongly associated with receiving a psychosis diagnosis and being admitted to hospital; but that does not mean psychiatrists caused the underlying psychosis. The relevant question is whether AI merely featured in an episode already under way, helped trigger it, or materially worsened it. The evidence cited does not yet distinguish between those possibilities.

Zenst··on AMD acquires Taalas to boost inference performance by etching models in silicon
With AI models like Mixture of Experts, many of those experts will be the real target here, as polished, refined and little to no change, they become fine candidates for being locked into silicon. Who knows, add some SRAM in there and small changes to those experts could be carried out without needing new silicon.

Maybe AI models may become reduced to a collection of tiles you add to a chips one day, maybe sooner for some areas as you say, motor control for balance, vision systems, speach recognition systems etc, broken down, for robotoics, much is already there and just cost of battery/power holding much back.

Zenst··on Qwen3.8-Max: A New Bar for Coding and Cowork
Whilst these coding models improve, they seem to cater for multiple languages, and for many, a trimmed-down LLM that supports just one language would be fantastic. This would be smaller, more able to run on the hardware people have at home, realistically (even on the CPU). Having one LLM that knows assembler, java, bain, C etc is neat, but when you only work and use one language at a time, it would be kinda neat to have those broken out into dedicated, smaller LLMs. After all Qwen3.8-Max handles over 90 programming languages - ask any programmer to name a list of computer languages and if they get over 20, they are doing well.
Zenst··on AI migrated legacy COBOL programs to Java, bugs included
Which is why N-version programming is often used for systems that need to work (like plane software) and even then, as we know today, it can not be perfect. Google "plane software bugs history" for an insight into that.
Zenst··on AI migrated legacy COBOL programs to Java, bugs included
Whilst true, it's not without its gotchas, and I saw a video the other day that elegantly highlights this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6MAZW-joCo. A false sense of confidence is bad; one that is offloaded onto somebody else is another.
Zenst··on AI migrated legacy COBOL programs to Java, bugs included
Having worked in COBOL extensivly in the 80s and 90s, as well as working for a software house that did migrations (Craziest was Plan assembler to Dec Vax C).

I do wonder how an ambitious AI would handle the maths. COBOL is renowed for its fixed no rounding maths, utterly rigid and defined in the code, Java on the other hand is not (e.g., 0.1 + 0.2 becomes 0.30000000000000004), unless they are extensivly using BigDecimal, then its already a broken migration.

I've seen projects proclaim in the past to migrate COBOL systems to Java, and fail expicly when the solution was a dtaawarehouse system and a seperate Java system using the legacy backend to do all the fancy marketing reports or whatever other department was pushing for changes they wanted without a grasp of what it truly entailed and blinded by some sales pitch.

It's not just the code that needs migrating, its the data as well, then you want solid robust infrastrucure, which is why IBM still sell those mainframes to run all that well battle tested COBOL code.

Is it impossible to migrate to Java or any othger language - no, anything can be done, but the level of devil in the details and not just software, the data and a robust system to run it upon. It is very easy for even the best to overlook a gotcha.

We have all used an AI where it has gone down one path and you then point out something and it corrects itself, without the knowledge and a load of old grey beads(or a team) to act as devil advocate and try to pull the output apart, YOU can end up with something that works for everyones satisfaction, but is hiding a few gotchas down the line. AI coding needs a full debate team with one puishing it and one countering it almost I'd say.

If it works, why change it is always a good approach and why we mostly have in certain systems a COBOL backend with APIs or datawarehousing to expose for fancy java or other language added value/functionality.

I can only image generations of directors pushing cutting edge to replace legacy systems, and learning that cutting edge can cut you. My sympathy for the IT departments who have to deal with that as it has always been a bain of IT departments who are then forced to justify why it's fooling in a constructive way and explain it to non IT people in upper managment why the case.

As for migrating COBOL to anything, I'd not do it myself, id suggest a rewrite/redesign of a new system from scratch and then run both in parallel for a long time and make sure they actually do the same job and results. Even hand migrating back in the day, would produce a lot of messy code that refactoring would make sence and yet, not what the client would pay for as that would be a rewrite.

Zenst··on Advertise in ChatGPT
My ironic humour hopes https://www.roba-kids.com/en/collections/sandpit appears as an advert with them.
Zenst··on Sandia National Labs SA3000 8085 CPU
Trident 2 (article says used 8 of these chips), and google says around 400-424 made, so easily would have soaked up 4000 of these CPUs with spares alone. So if anything, the production run seems light.

I read they had their own fab, so the minimum production run aspect would appear moot.

Zenst··on Sandia National Labs SA3000 8085 CPU
That number was probably shaped by minimum production-run requirements, alongside the need for software development units, along with other factors, like the use in Trident II and other quests we may not know about.
Zenst··on Hellishly Slow Level 13 Deflate Compression
Process-intensive, but higher compression has clear strategic value. Distant satellites such as Voyager, where bandwidth is severely limited, could transmit more data using such capabilities. Equally, for long-term archival storage, improved compression would allow far greater volumes of data to be preserved on durable, life-long media formats.
Zenst··on Steam Machine launches today
As it is, scalpers/bots have been cashing in for a while, coining it from cashed-up people, so flipping that would make sense by a company and taking advantage of that to help reduce/fund a lower price down the line quicker.

Another way would be to auction of X amount of units, then those with cash can pay through the nose directly and again, the company gains and by that, so do normal consumers on a breadline, as it would help reduce the cost quicker down the line for the rest of the purchasers.

Zenst··on Steam Machine launches today
Interesting, as it sounds like a lottery reservation system, which is kinda a neat way to deal with many issues.

I'm always supprised that companies don't do a tiered price release, offer it at 200% price, you get it, 150%, you lower down the list and then 100% lottery time, that way they gain from those who can afford to pay more(maybe able to subsidise other sales later and price cuts down the line). Why feed scalpers when you can coin it directly and then offer a lower price to those who are prepared to wait a few more months or so.

Zenst··on New drug 'functionally cures' many hepatitis B virus infections
They produce drugs whose patents have expired; drugs still under patent are something they mostly avoid. The term for 3rd party versions of these drugs are often referred to as `generics`, which sees the same drug, but a different name(names also have copyrights that seem to extend longer).

However, if they can tweak the drug and make it something that escapes the patent and still works then good for them and everyone else. Though mindful large pharma is rather tight and lawyer-heavy when it comes to protecting their IP.

As of now it is under patent that expires in 2032, and also not FDA approved, so with how long that process takes, either way, wont see it available anytime soon in drug regulated countries. But grey imports/black market trade in pharma drugs is not to be overlooked.

Zenst··on It's hard to justify buying a Framework 12
Saw this and does seem the screen tipped the balance here, which is understandable. Maybe if framework had a better screen without the touch overheads as an option(which I'm sure they could do being modular and upgradable)
Zenst··on OpenAI is connecting ChatGPT to bank accounts via Plaid
All set for a perfect storm with a single exploit down the line. Which could take out so much and OpenAI with it. What a way to burst the bubble, not an if, more a when as so many eggs in that basket and they have yet to invent a solid lid.

Reminds me of the underpant gnomes in many ways

Collect underpants ???AI??? Profit

Zenst··on UK government replaces Palantir software with internally-built refugee system
I contracted for ICL around the time it was acquired by Fujitsu, working opposite the Post Office developers, some of whom were still learning C++ as they went.

I later worked at the Department of Health during the Blair-era restructuring, when management layers multiplied, Trust structures became increasingly fragmented, and PFI debt created long-term financial drag. I also encountered someone trying to sell internal documents, which says plenty about the governance culture at the time.

Then I saw the BBC go through outsourcing to Fujitsu, with assets sold off and then effectively contracted back.

Across utilities, government, healthcare and broadcasting, the pattern has been depressingly consistent: short-term accounting savings, long-term operational debt, and layers of complexity presented as reform. Problems are rarely solved. They are moved around, rebranded, outsourced, and made to look resolved until the next team inherits the consequences.

Capgemini, Fujitsu and the usual suspects do well out of it. The public sector gets another five-year spreadsheet win, while the real-world cost lands years later with someone else.

All rather depressing when you see it first hand and many stories I dare not tell, from Ministers and their `shadows`(what their assistants called), upper goverment stories and even from infosec days involving banks and financial intertutions and how links that should never be there were found. Networks connected by undocumented lines and other things that just make you go WTF at levels of disbelief, even No.10 dealings that again, best left unspoken.

Just a system that focuses on being seen to care, over actually careing and if you do care, you are either broken or scared for life.

Oh well, be another decade or two to unpick the debt bombing this time around and those that cause it, never held to account as seagull managment is now the norm in many walks of life along with doing little waiting for pensions with pension surfing. This that care, die, those who don't get promoted on lies.

I will write a book to be published when i'm gone(soon) and just not care then, until then, I care, just wished those with power actually did.

Zenst··on The Dunning-Kruger effect is probably just from bimodal skill distributions
Good article. I particularly like the line, "early exposure to experts reduces delusional confidence", which is very true. It helps prevent a flawed Occam’s razor mindset, where people mistake the simplest visible explanation for the correct one.

Though probably not the best title as more about "Mount Stupid", than Dunning-Kruger.

Zenst··on OpenAI has bought AI personal finance startup Hiro
Does feel like OpenAI are on a - too the moon or bust direction currently and equally does also feel they are too big to go bust as if they wobble, the enture stack of bubbles colapse to the stage that the fallout would be greater than the sum of one company.

Fun times, but then, never a dull moment in this industry.

Zenst··on OpenAI puts Stargate UK on ice, blames energy costs and red tape
Sora was a loss-loss-leader to a loss-leader product with added liability exposure ontop. Was wise to bail on it as the resource demands are crazy for video gen with AI, and to get longer clips, you need more and more memory. Upside is, they might have some IP they can leveridge down the line, or liscence the product to others.

UK been a mess enegy wise for a while as we rushed towards netzero when we should of been more tortise, that saw the UK see where we were and where we wanted to be and go in a straight line like a roman road,but no concept of bridges or tunnels, that made the direction more bumpy than it could have been and far less impacting overall. There again, good example would be the mad rush done when they rushed to replace incadecent bulbs under Regulation EC 244/2009 with CFC bulbs chucked endless money to pat themselves on the back with LED taking over a few years later, sending those rushed replacement to landfill - which of note, if you broke one, you literly have to evac your house and air for a while due to the mecury in them. As I said, many good intentions are rushed like a hare when we all know the tortise wins the race.

Zenst··on MacBook Neo
like Neo from the Martix, it has only one interface port of real use.
Zenst··on X offices raided in France as UK opens fresh investigation into Grok
https://blog.x.com/en_us/topics/company/2023/an-update-on-ou...
Zenst··on X offices raided in France as UK opens fresh investigation into Grok
https://bsky.social/about/blog/01-17-2025-moderation-2024

"In 2024, Bluesky submitted 1,154 reports for confirmed CSAM to the National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). Reports consist of the account details, along with manually reviewed media by one of our specialized child safety moderators. Each report can involve many pieces of media, though most reports involve under five pieces of media."

If it wasn't there, there would be no reports.

Zenst··on Euro firms must ditch Uncle Sam's clouds and go EU-native
The Huawei ban in the European Union (EU) has been a gradual, uneven process, shifting from voluntary guidelines in 2020 to increasingly mandatory, country-specific, and EU-wide restrictions by 2025–2026.

Here is the timeline of Huawei's ban and restrictions in the EU and UK:

Phase 1: Initial Restrictions and Voluntary Guidelines (2019–2020) May 2019: The United States places Huawei on a trade blacklist, restricting access to key technologies (Google Android, US chips), which triggers security reviews across Europe.

January 2020: The European Commission launches its "5G Security Toolbox," encouraging EU member states to restrict or exclude "high-risk vendors" (HRV) like Huawei from critical core network infrastructure.

July 2020 (UK): The UK government announces a total ban on buying new Huawei 5G equipment after December 31, 2020, and orders the removal of all existing Huawei 5G gear by 2027.

October 2020 (Sweden): Sweden bans Huawei and ZTE from 5G networks and orders the removal of existing equipment by January 2025.

Phase 2: Implementation Hurdles (2021–2023) 2021-2022: Many EU nations slow-walk the implementation of the 5G toolbox, with only a small number of countries actively banning Huawei from core networks due to costs and dependence on its technology.

June 2023: EU officials express frustration that only one-third of EU countries have implemented restrictions on high-risk vendors.

Phase 3: Hardening Stance and National Bans (2024–2025) July 2024 (Germany): After years of delays, Germany announces an agreement with major operators to remove Huawei and ZTE critical components from 5G core networks by the end of 2026, and from access/transport networks by 2029.

August 2025 (Spain): Spain cancels a government contract with Telefonica involving Huawei equipment. November 2025 (EU-wide): The European Commission pushes for a binding, mandatory ban, threatening to make the 2020 voluntary guidelines legally required for all member states.

Phase 4: Proposed Mandatory EU-Wide Ban (2026) January 20, 2026: The European Commission unveils a new proposal aimed at forcing EU member states to remove Huawei and ZTE from their networks within three years of adoption.

January 2026: Reports indicate the EU may move to ban Huawei and ZTE from critical infrastructure, including fixed-line and fiber networks, not just 5G. Summary of Key Country Timelines

UK: New equipment banned (Dec 2020), full removal by 2027. Sweden: Full 5G ban, removal by Jan 2025. Germany: Core removal by end of 2026, RAN removal by 2029. EU (General): Proposed 3-year mandatory phase-out starting from 2026

Must say, tech that has held up for all that time, must be doing something right.

So this cloud ride, the possibility of a whole new paradigm in computing could happen before we see EU cloud centricity.

Zenst··on Elon Musk's SpaceX, Tesla, and xAI in talks to merge, according to reports
Wouldn't such a rumour make people think that if they brought Tesla shares, they could get a share of SpaceX if they merge, given their public stock and the later two are not.

So such reports, in such situations, will be interesting if it has an impact on Tesla shares. Which could trigger an investigation.

Zenst··on Snow Simulation Toy
If you take it to the max (rate, speed) with 0 melt, let it fill up, then turn melt to the max - you get reverse snow falling up.
Zenst··on Why is the Gmail app 700 MB?
Imagine, it's not just making sure your code is secure, but your also counting on all those libraries's being secure. Let alone all these frameworks as you say - payment, advertising, analytics... You could have the most secure code ever, but when it is just one link in a chain outside your control, best not overthink it or you won't sleep.

You can see why bug bounties get rewarded well. Though mindful, money is not what drives everyone. Then there are the greedy, in which such exploits value on the black market can be higher. Not forgetting government agencies level.

I wonder which email client will break the 1GB mark, and when we will see a resurgence in reducing bloat. I'm sure that phase will come, did for Microsoft once.

Zenst··on Trump says Venezuela’s Maduro captured after strikes
Maria Corina Machado (nobel peace prize winner) is purported to be their new leader. So all the signs so far are looking up.
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